THE LIFE GARDENER: A Journey Towards Authenticity

By Remi Boudreau

A few weeks ago, Dave felt like he was on top of the world. He was the owner of a large company which employed fifteen people. He was married to a wonderful and successful woman. And to top it all off, he and his wife were only months away from having their first child. But life doesn’t always turn out the way you expect it...

Today, Dave finds himself unemployed, separated, with almost no money to his name... and if that wasn’t enough. He now has to find a way to accept the fact that his dream of becoming a father will have to be put on hold...

Join AUTHOR, SINGER/SONGWRITER, Remi Boudreau as he shares with you his own personal journey through his writing and his music.

The book is filled with concepts that we all can understand and is written in words that speak to the soul. The soundtrack takes the heart on a journey of its own. Together they masterfully tell Rémi’s story, while allowing you to feel his sorrow, acceptance, reckoning and emerging joy.

www.RemiBoudreau.com

• Language: English
• Publisher: Remi Boudreau
• Release date: May 10, 2012
• ISBN: 9780987938404

Remi Boudreau

Rémi became an accomplished singer and songwriter at the young age of 18. Shortly after the successful release of his first album – Xpressions – Rémi won a major singer/songwriter television contest in Quebec: Tremplin ‘97. In the corporate world, it didn’t take long for Rémi to make his mark. In his first year running a painting business, he established records and won awards in production, sales and management. Now, Rémi is pursuing his dream of becoming an accomplished author. Rémi lives in Moncton, New Brunswick with the love of his life, Sandra, and their daughter, Zoé. “The Life Gardener” is Rémi’s first book.

Book preview

THE LIFE GARDENER

A Journey Towards Authenticity

Inspired by actual events

Rémi Boudreau

SMASHWORDS EDITION

*****

PUBLISHED BY:

Rémi Boudreau on Smashwords

The Life Gardener

Copyright © 2012 by Rémi Boudreau

Copy Editor: Kathy Mercure

Book Layout: Sandra Marquis

Photographer: Nathalie Doucet

Graphic Designer: Jocelyne Saulnier

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Boudreau, Rémi, 1979-

The life gardener [electronic resource] : a journey towards authenticity inspired by actual events / Rémi Boudreau.

Electronic monograph.

Issued also in print format.

ISBN 978-0-9879384-0-4

1. Boudreau, Rémi, 1979-. 2. Self-realization.

3. Identity (Psychology). 4. Individuality. I. Title.

BF697.B68 2012 158.1 C2012-901458-3

*****

To Sandra and Zoé,

This love that we share…

‘It’s All I Breathe’

*****

INTRODUCTION

This book you are about to read is a novel with a powerful message; one that I believe can help you with your own journey called life.

While the story itself is a work of fiction, it has been inspired by actual events that I have personally faced and overcome on my journey towards authenticity. While I feel I have made tremendous strides in overcoming some of the illusions and beliefs that had been the foundation for how I viewed the world and my role in it, I believe that my journey towards authenticity continues.

I believe we are all spiritual beings having a human experience. I also believe that life on earth is a school of some sorts, and that each and every one of us comes to this school with specific lessons we are meant to learn and to teach. What comes out of this cycle of learning and teaching is evolution.

While I believe authenticity to be the merging of spirit, mind and body, we still need to understand that we are, for the moment, living a human experience… an imperfect, sometimes challenging, but more often rewarding human experience. And for our experience to be less painful and more fulfilling, I believe we need to be more patient with ourselves and with others.

As you read the story that follows, I ask that you give yourself permission to open up to the possibilities of what your life could be. Try to see past any illusions or beliefs that may be currently limiting your experience and joy. Life has many seasons, and sometimes we can be stuck in one by fear of what could be coming next – I know I was. But by trying to prevent change, not only are we preventing this learning and teaching from taking place, we are also putting all of our energy and efforts trying to prevent something that is simply destined to happen – our own history proves it. Although scary at times, change is truly a positive thing.

I wish to thank every single person that has been a part of my journey thus far. However long or brief, joyful or challenging, loving or hurtful, our time together has helped shape my current reality – and for that I am forever grateful.

Life is a blessing we are all meant to enjoy.

With love,

Rémi

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.

– Albert Einstein

PROLOGUE

Sitting alone on this wooden bench – surrounded by a landscape so beautiful, one might believe they’re in a dream – I find myself staring at this sign still strategically located between the corner of the garden and the beautiful gravel pathway.

HELP WANTED

It was a little over three years ago, sitting on this same bench, that I looked at this sign and unknowingly embarked on a new journey for myself – the next chapter in this thing called life. And as I read those carefully engraved words once more today, it came to me… the reason I was so attracted to those words back then was because, somewhere inside of me, those words represented a personal cry for help.

YEAR 1

The Groundwork

CHAPTER 1

Walking around this beautiful property one last time, I still couldn’t believe how my entire world – everything I knew – could somehow have come crumbling down within the span of only a few weeks.

Not so long ago, I felt I was on top of the world. I was the owner of a large painting company with fifteen employees. I was married to a wonderful and successful woman. And to top it all off, we were only months away from having our first child. But life doesn’t always turn out the way you expect it.

I walked to my car and said my final goodbyes to this place that had been our home for four years. Driving away, with the image of a past life shrinking in my rearview mirror, I now found myself with nothing more than a few dollars in my pocket, this car, and a pen with the name of our realtor written on it in gold.

On my way to my new place – which my overly optimistic landlord referred to as cozy – I decided to stop for coffee at my favorite spot. I parked at the curb and as I opened my door, I could already smell the wonderful scent of fresh ground coffee.

The coffee shop was situated on the ground level of an old brick building across the street from the city’s largest park. The outside of the shop had been redone in wood and was painted green. The name of the coffee shop – Park Street Café – was engraved over the main door and painted in gold. Inside, the menus were hand written on a number of different-sized chalkboards. This attention to detail gave me the impression that the owner of this place must really care. In the main sitting area, a somewhat magical ceiling arched over a number of tables, sofas and chairs. The details in its architecture made it obvious that it was the original ceiling of the building. No one takes the time to give buildings this much character and details these days, I thought.

I ordered my usual cinnamon-sprinkled cappuccino to go and finally made my way to my new home after a very long day.

Once I arrived at my apartment, only a few blocks away from the coffee shop, I unpacked the remaining boxes from my car and made my way to the bedroom. It was only about four in the afternoon, but my body felt as if I had been running a marathon all day. Grocery shopping for the new apartment, packing the remainder of my belongings from my old house and signing the closing papers with the lawyers – it somehow had been much more difficult and energy consuming then I would have expected. As I laid my head to rest on the pillow, exhaustion overcame me and I immediately fell asleep.

When I woke up later that evening, realization hit me: this was my new life – unemployed and living alone in this tiny apartment. The thought of eating didn’t enter my mind and instead I spent the entire night in my bedroom going over and over the events that led to my current reality.

I understood why I came to have no other options but to close and bankrupt my business after all those years, but the details that surrounded our pending divorce and now terminated pregnancy still haunted me every night. How could I even begin to forgive myself?

The following morning, I decided to go for a walk at the park to clear my head so that I could figure out what to do with my life – and what to do for money. Victoria Park was impressive, occupying the equivalent of twenty city blocks. Its incredible scenery featured many gravel walkways, tall old trees, several gardens and in the very middle, a twenty-foot wide fountain where all of the walkways met.

After walking around for about twenty minutes, I decided to sit on a wooden bench across from one of the